Johnson & Johnson is probably not planning on backing out of its merger with Guidant, according to insiders close to the transaction. Instead the company wants to renegotiate the $24.4 billion price tag it agreed on earlier for the Indianapolis-based device maker. The tough tactics may backfire, however, and lead to a legal battle between the two companies. The clear factor behind the decision, according to most analysts, was this summer's recall of 88,000 defibrillators and nearly 200,000 pacemakers and the subsequent investigation by the FDA. This morning Guidant responded to the development by saying it thinks the merger "still makes strategic sense." The company is refusing further comment pending FTC approval of the deal.
- see this article from The New York Times
- see this article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer